Firefighters face danger and personal injury every time they enter a building in the process of attempting to extinguish a fire. The fire presents several types of danger to the firefighter including extreme heat, toxic smoke and low visibility as well as the instability of the structure of a burning building. All of these hazards regularly cause fire fighters injury and loss of life.
Modern engineering efforts and materials are being used to improve the protection afforded to firefighters while battling a blaze. Firefighters entering a burning building today wear a face mask having internal filters to reduce the inhaled fumes and a connection port for a fresh air hose. Firefighters also wear a flame blocking hood made of Nomex® aramid fiber, the hood being formed to overlap the edges of the face mask to create a fully protective barrier. Other articles of clothing worn by firefighters, e.g. jackets and trousers, are similarly designed and manufactured to provide thermal insulation and minimize the incidence of injury and death.
However, in many situations the firefighter must put on the protective headgear quickly. More importantly, in cases when the firefighter has been hurt or the face mask has been damaged, the protective headgear has to be removed quickly and easily in order to care for the firefighter. The presently known face masks and hoods are held to the firefighter's head with straps that must be adjusted to a proper fit. Removing these face masks requires removing the hood and then loosening or cutting as many as 5 straps, costing precious time. The invention described below provides a novel and improved fire protective headgear that is capable of being put on and taken off more quickly than previous types, thereby enhancing the safety of the firefighter.